Brake lights represent one of the many important safety features included on a motor vehicle. Typically, brake lights indicate when a vehicle's brakes are being applied. This indication signals the driver of a following vehicle of a need to slow down to avoid a rear-end collision. However, in spite of the use of brake lights, the incidence of rear-end collisions remains undesirably high.
The high incidence of rear-end collisions is due, at least in part, to the fact that conventional brake lights fail to announce all situations in which a vehicle may be slowing, moving slowly, or even stopped. For example, when a leading vehicle's driver removes his or her foot from the vehicle's throttle but does not apply brakes, the leading vehicle slows without conventional brake lights activating. In another example, a vehicle may be stopped at a stop light, stop sign, or other roadway position without the vehicle's driver applying brakes. In yet another situation, a vehicle may be slowly creeping away from a stopped condition without brake lights being activated.
In these and other circumstances, a vehicle may present no indication to grab the attention of a following vehicle's driver. Unless the driver of a following vehicle pays very close attention, a rear-end collision may occur. In recent years, traffic congestion in urban areas has increased, and the spacing between vehicles on the roadways has decreased. Consequently, the likelihood of being involved in a rear-end collision where brake lights are not been activated in a timely manner has increased.
Due to differences in the way manual transmission vehicles and automatic transmission vehicles tend to be operated, different vehicles face different rear-end collision risks in different situations. Drivers of both automatic and manual transmission vehicles slow their vehicles small amounts without applying brakes by allowing their vehicles' throttles to return to idle positions or states. However, manual transmission drivers are likely to significantly slow their vehicles without applying brakes by shifting to a lower gear. When an automatic transmission vehicle is stopped, such as at a stop light or stop sign, the vehicle's driver typically keeps brakes applied to prevent the vehicle from creeping forward. However, manual transmission vehicle drivers often may remove their feet from their vehicles' brakes after stopping so that they may prepare for movement when the opportunity presents itself. On the other hand, an automatic transmission vehicle driver may occasionally tend to creep away from a stopped position simply by removing his or her foot from a brake pedal. A following vehicle's driver receives no indication of whether the leading vehicle is creeping or accelerating significantly.